Plants 16-45 cm. Pseudobulbs 5-10 mm diam. Leaves 1, within proximal 1/3 of stem; blade orbiculate-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, (3-)4.1-8.5(-10) × 0.2-0.45 (-0.65) cm, apex obtuse to acute. Inflorescences racemes, 6-25 cm; rachis slightly angled; floral bracts triangular to lanceolate, 1-2 × 0.5 mm, apex acute; pedicels not crowded, 2.5-5 mm. Flowers 16-133, resupinate, deep maroon or greenish maroon; sepals papillose, not glabrous; dorsal sepal lanceolate, 1.8-2.4 × 0.8-1.2 mm, margins revolute, apex acute; lateral sepals lanceolate-elliptic, falcate, 1.8-2.4 × 0.8-1.2 mm, apex acute; petals strongly recurved, linear to filiform, slightly falcate, 1.8-2.2 × 0.2-0.4 mm, apex obtuse; lip linear to linear-lanceolate, 1.8-2.3 × 1.3-1.8 mm, base with auricles broad and diverging, apex narrowly acuminate; column 0.5-0.8 × 0.5-0.8 mm; pollinia yellow. Capsules ascending, ellipsoid, 5 × 3 mm. Flowering summer (Jul--Sep). Open coniferous and mixed forests on dry slopes; 2000 m; Tex.; Mexico. The confusion among Malaxis porphyrea, M. ehrenbergii, and M. wendtii is discussed under 10. M. porphyrea.
